Teen With One Leg Smashes Swim Records

Christina Lang broke or set records in four different swim events at national meets this summer — and she did it all with just one leg.

The high school senior lost her leg after suffering from a blood infection as a toddler, but never had any doubts about following her older brother's path onto the swim team.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

"Swimming is a hard sport. I don't know it any other way," she told USA Today. "I've never swam with two legs so I don't know if it's hard with one leg compared to two legs. So, is it hard? Yes. But is it hard because I have one leg? I don't know."

Christina, 17, is so quick and graceful in the pool that some of the girls she races against don't even realize she wears a prosthetic until she climbs out of the pool. (Sometimes she swims with it, sometimes she doesn't.)

Although she smashes records in freestyle, she's not quite as fast in butterfly or breaststroke, which leads some officials to try to disqualify her during competitions against athletes without disabilities.

"Sometimes when we're at meets I have to remind officials that she only has one leg because they want to disqualify her in butterfly or breaststroke and I'm like, remember she's only got one," said her coach, Lisa Bitting.

Her dream is to make the 2020 Paralympic Games in Japan. With five years to go, she has plenty of time to ascend the ranks of the swim world. Keep your eyes peeled for her!